


A Lost Kingdom

by TheLionOfStarlight (BasicallyAnIdiot)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Atlantis!Au, Crack?, Drabbles, Gen, Outsider POVs, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasicallyAnIdiot/pseuds/TheLionOfStarlight
Summary: “So,” Hunk began. He opened a jug of wine in one hand with his teeth and set the two ceramic mugs in the other on the blanket, watching what appeared to be a funny looking tube crash through the camouflage barrier that surrounded the island. It caught fire and glided towards the ocean while a flock of other funny looking tubes in different colours in the sky chased after it. “Do you think that’s a problem?”





	1. Crash Landing

**Author's Note:**

> So I was working on one of my many WIPs (including another Voltron one sitting pretty at 6,500 words of a first draft) and this idea came to me- a mishmash of a whole bunch of concepts I love from various series. It's a quick read, one of my shortest in a while, but I hope it makes you laugh. May or may not be continued in the future : D
> 
> So here we go.
> 
> Edit: Oh lordie. I have so many drabble ideas for this, I feel the need to post them. So I guess this chapters of drabbles now? XD 
> 
> I also broke one of my vows and reviewed the first drabble after I posted it, so if it seems different than when you first read it, that's because it is.

**A Lost Kingdom**

Crash Landing

 

“So,” Hunk began. He opened a jug of wine in one hand with his teeth and set the three ceramic mugs in the other on the blanket, watching what appeared to be a funny looking tube with... wings crash through the camouflage barrier that surrounded the island. It caught fire and glided towards the ocean while a flock of other funny looking tubes in different colours in the sky chased after it. “Do you think that’s a problem?”

Pidge shrugged, soft cotton tunic flowing with the movement, and grabbed another fresh roll from the basket. Her gold lion head brooch pinned the grass green sash of her station proudly against her shoulder- its emerald eyes glaring fiercely. A rarity- Pidge must have had a meeting with the Academy about something that morning. She was even wearing her nice sandals. “Probably. Though I think Lance is on duty today, so it’s really his problem.”

A breeze washed over them as they sat on a woven wool blanket under a tree, carrying the spray of the ocean with it. This was the best place on the island to out-wait the oppressive heat of the day. Waves never got high enough to actually reach the cliff top, but the droplets sometimes made their way over the edge cooling the air by a few degrees. 

“I thought that barrier of yours made us invisible to the outside world.” Hunk gently picked the mugs up one at a time and filled them with the red wine, passing one to his friend. The wine was from his family’s farm, bottled almost fifty years ago. A little young for his liking but the year had been good and the bottles plentiful. He left the third mug empty.

“Invisible, yes. Impenetrable, not so much. Normally the mirage is enough to turn people around.” She shook her head, short-chopped auburn hair bouncing, “Still working on the physical barrier part. I’m thinking if I can get a series of reflectors and some runes on them I can fix that- but getting enough energy needed to power it is the real challenge.” 

The seabreeze blew a burning smell up the cliffside they sat on and into their faces- almost over-powering the salt in the air. The first tube-thingy had a small explosion go off, knocking off of the flat pieces of the craft that jutted out from the side. It started free-falling, plummeting into the ocean, leaving a smoke trail behind it.

Above the wreck, the other pointy tube things circled. They were slow cumbersome things- even Yellow, the slowest lion of the Pride, would have been able to dance around the metal triangles. Hunk shook his head and pulled out some cheese from the basket. The Pride hadn’t been needed in almost two thousand years, and his own gold lion head brooch, carnelian gaze pensive, sat in a drawer on top of his folded golden sash. Being a baker suited him just fine.  

They watched the fireball hit the surface of the ocean hard enough to send up a splash higher than the waves. A thin blue beam shot out of the Castle citadel proper with pinpoint accuracy three times. Hitting one of the metal vultures circling each time and instantly vapourizing the target. The few pieces of debris that were left drifted down. Pidge politely clapped before picking up her food again and taking a bite. 

“Yeah.” Hunk agreed after a moment pulling out a roll for himself and leaning back against the fig tree they had set up their picnic under. Located at the edge of the orchard and so close to the cliff, few people would think to look for them here. Sunlight filtered through its leaves, keeping them cool. The cliff side was still gorgeous and the smoke would clear soon enough. A great day for a picnic. “That looks like Lance.” 

Pidge squinted, leaning forward while chewing. She swallowed and pointed to a particularly big piece of debris in the water being batted around by the waves. “What’s that?” 

Hunk blinked and scanned the waves. The piece of debris was moving across the waves and- “Is that a person?” 

“Looks like.” Pidge turned and watched the figure they had been waiting for taking a running leap off the neighbouring cliff edge and dive perfectly into the raging waters below. “Hey.” She said absently, “There’s Keith.” 

The idiot hadn’t bothered to remove his leather armour, but he still cut through the water like a knife when he surfaced some couple hundreds of metres away. The real question was whether or not Keith would kill the trespasser when he finally made it to them. He had eased off the ‘attack first, ask questions later’ methodology in the recent centuries but old habits died hard. 

“Why is he wasting his energy? The ocean will take care of it.” Pidge squinted at the quick moving figure of their friend,  “I bet you five drachmea that Keith drowns him.” 

“No bet.” Hunk shook his head, slicing a second kind of cheese and handing her a piece. It was a newish variety made from goat’s milk and he had high hopes it would meet with his friends’ approval. Well, he thought forlornly as he watched Keith swim hard into the waves, Pidge’s approval any way. 

It was silent for a moment. The survivor had seen Keith coming for him, clearly thought he was a rescue party, and started swimming frantically towards the Commander of the Queen’s Blades. Keith stopped short, treading water just feet away from the survivor. Then, Keith swam close and…

Pidge’s jaw dropped unattractively like she was a mere 500 years old or something. Behind her the fig tree reeled back as if struck by a stiff wind. “Is he helping that guy to shore?!” 

“Keith would never-“ Hunk blinked and watched the scene more closely. “Huh.” 

The silence came back. Keith was definitely moving the survivor closer to shore, even going so far as allowing the man to rest against his back. Hunk‘s lips pressed into a line as he looked at the basket he brought from the bakery, still half full of food and treats, then to the scene coming closer to them. “Pidge. I’m going to level with you. I don’t think we’re going to get to the fruits today.”

Pidge scowled, and the grass beside her wilted. “Allura’s going to lose a gear when she hears about this. And I can’t believe Keith ditched having lunch with us to go save some mainlander!” Her scowl suddenly lightened with curiosity, the grass perking up with motion. Hunk had known her long enough to be very afraid of such sudden changes. “How pretty do you think he is? ” 

Keith was closing in on the shoreline and he would probably need a hand getting back up the cliffs. Hunk shook his head, setting one hand against the grass and feeling the granite underneath that composed their island. He encouraged a section of the cliff to become an easier climb just in front of Keith. Crude steps formed with a rumble and the cliff protested his interference with an intense grumpiness. The things Hunk did for his friends. “No bet.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Yes, Shiro is the pilot Keith's rescuing (to Allura's dismay). 
> 
> And yes, this pretty much sets the tone of their relationship. XD
> 
> Come say, 'hi' on [Tumblr!](https://basicallyanidiot.tumblr.com/)


	2. At The Bakery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk gets a helper at his bakery (but only because he is a good friend to Keith).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Another drabble for this concept. 
> 
> I also rewrote the first drabble a bit (breaking my solemn vow against about rewriting previously posted works) to reflect where some of the future drabbles will go. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

  **A Lost Kingdom**

 At the Bakery

 

“It’s just,” Hunk sighed, and gestured to the kitchen. Flour coated everything- including Hunk’s tunic. The long hardwood table that Hunk kneaded the dough on was the only reasonably clean place in the room. A giant clay oven set into the wall that separated the bakery from the outside- as far away from their living quarters as Pidge could design it- dominated the room. Across from it, on the wall that connected to the house, bags and bags of dried grain sat, waiting to be ground by Shay the next morning. “I don’t really have room for another person in here. Let alone for a week.”

Keith stood under one of the open archways that let the heat of the fires out into the yard, leaning against a pillar. A very brave chicken was pecking its way towards the Blade, and Hunk hoped it had enough sense to leave Keith alone. He did not want to change his dinner plans to accommodate fresh chicken.

Dark leather armour, polished daily and shining with age, carefully fitted over a red tunic shifted with Keith as he crossed his arms. The dull brass of his arm guards matched the greaves on his legs. A black cape hung across his back, right shoulder pinned in place with a silvery lion head broach, platinum. The black diamond eyes proud and unyielding.

Hunk’s eye twitched. “Why don’t you get Lance to do it?”

Keith shook his head slowly, his wolf tail bouncing with the effort. “He and Allura are busy tomorrow.” His lip twitched upward in a smirk and Hunk got the distinct impression he was being laughed at.

Dread growing, Hunk asked, “Pidge?”

It was Keith’s turn to twitch a little. “Wanted to take him apart. See if humans have physically changed since we last saw them.” Keith sighed and straightened, purple eyes sharp. “Please, Hunk?”

There were several things Hunk could have said. He settled with a, “Fine. But you owe me. Like Majorly.” He paused. “And you are the one who has to tell Shay.”

The Commander of the Queen’s Blades blanched at that, but nodded regardless.

Hunk sighed aloud again, “The fires are lit an hour before dawn. Bring him by then.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

True to his word, the next day Keith arrived well before dawn with a tall, broad shadow in tow.

Hunk blinked blearily at the duo, trying to remember what to do or what he had agreed to, and fought back a yawn.

His wife had no such problem, always a morning person, and rolled her eyes at her husband. She dropped the bag of grain she had been carrying and approached the lurkers from the safety of the arches. “Good morning, Keith.” Shay greeted the Blade softly, kissing him once on the cheek.  She turned and looked up at the survivor Keith had pulled from the ocean. “You must be our guest.”

The man was tall- taller than Keith almost by a head, and Keith was the tallest person Hunk knew- and broad in the shoulders. Hunk blinked. The man looked like the Gods themselves came down and sculpted him, sparing no detail between a chiseled chin and muscles flexed with all gestures, small or big. His confused smile seemed almost… adorable. A scar, still healing, cut across his nose and a white tuft of hair was shocking against a head of black. One arm was missing- a side effect of the crash that had brought him into Altea. The only imperfection the Gods had allowed this creation. The white tunic, lacking any identification of either a guild or family or status, was jarring on such a figure.  

“He doesn’t speak Altean.” Keith clarified then added, in Latin, “How’s your Roman?”

Hunk grunted back in the same language, brain trying to remember a tongue he hadn’t had to deal with in several centuries. “It’s too early for Latin.” He gave up the ghost and finally yawned.

Shay rolled her eyes again, shaking her head, braid of thick brown hair bouncing. Her Latin was five times better than Hunk’s even when he was awake. There was a reason she commanded the front counter with all the customers. “Are you going to introduce everyone, Keith.”

The Blade shrugged and turned to the man, speaking slowly. “Shiro. Shay,” He pointed to Shay, then to Hunk, “Hunk.” His gaze turned somewhat wary. “Shay. Hunk. This is Shiro. Please don’t let Pidge near him.”

The taller man, spoke slowly. “It is good to meet you.” Then he smiled and it was like the sun and broken through on a cloud day and chased away the rain. Flowers could have turned towards the smile and Hunk would not have been surprised.

Shay blushed and mumbled in Altean to Keith, “Oh- that was definitely worth saving.”

The Blade flushed, and jerked his head in the other direction to hide it.

Hunk raised one eyebrow. Keith hadn’t been that sensitive about a guy since… well since he and Lance were courting. That had been millennia ago. He shook his head and stuck his arm out in greeting to Shiro.  

Shiro stepped forward, yup he was even taller up close, and gripped Hunk’s hand firmly. Hunk blinked and looked at their clasped hands. Was this how people greeted each other now?

Keith sighed, and stepped beside the man to adjust the grip. Shiro blushed a little- likely embarrassed- as the grip turned into a proper Altean greeting, as they clasped each other’s forearms. Hunk blinked again because, wow, Keith actually initiated physical contact with another person.

Shiro’s grip was firm, careful almost. Like he didn’t want to hurt with his strength. Even with only one arm, Hunk could definitely put that strength to use. He nodded, almost awake at this point. “Come on.” He gestured a ‘come here’ motion and led the way into the kitchen.

Shiro glanced back at Keith once, then followed Hunk into the warmth of the kitchen.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“We’re keeping him.” Shay announced just before noon on the fourth day of Shiro’s stay with them. Keith had taken to dropping him off in the morning and picking him up at dusk.  

Hunk wanted to argue. He really did. Wanted to say that they were trying for a child right now and they didn’t have room for both a kid and a guest in their little home. Wanted to say that Shiro was under observation of the Blades. That Allura still hadn’t decided his fate- there was always a possibility Shiro would be executed.

But Shiro was the best help they had ever had in the bakery. Really, Hunk could almost weep with joy.

With one arm and without complaint, Shiro would lift a bag and throw it over his shoulder and haul it down to the little mill Shay operated at the stream. When the flour had been milled, he hauled the bag back up. It freed up Hunk to start, and finish, his preparations for the day sooner. For the first time in several centuries, Hunk was able to start baking just after dawn broke.

When Hunk moved on to preparing the dough for the next day, Shay taking the fresh loaves into the shopfront, Shiro was an attentive student. Watching, learning. Repeating the words Hunk used in his explanation to confirm his understanding.

Give it a decade or two, and Shiro could easily be running a bakery of his own. Hunk had never taken an apprentice- too many of the youngsters without a trade had the stars in their eyes when they spoke to a Paladin. But Shiro had no idea what a Paladin was, let alone who they were. Wouldn’t ask Hunk for stories about the wars-

Hunk sighed, turned to his wife and clarified, “The guest room?”

Shay’s eyes twinkled with delight, of a victory won. “For now. If he stays we should look at expanding the house.”

“We’ll have to ask Allura.” Hunk reminded his wife. “And Shiro.”

“So ask, silly.” Shay replied, cutting to the heart of the matter in one fell swoop.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“By the Gods, of course.” Allura rolled her eyes. “It will get the high lords off my back about having a dangerous stranger in the palace if Shiro stays with a Paladin.”

Lance made a frantic cutting gesture across his throat that only Hunk could see. Hunk, not quite forgetting how his friend had grabbed a couple of loaves the other day and shouted something about an ‘I owe you’ as he dashed off to the palace for his shift, promptly asked, “But aren’t you, you know, also a Paladin?”

Allura’s eyes flashed dangerously- hopefully not at Hunk because mad Allura was a scary Allura with or without the royal authority, and she growled, “You would think they could remember that.”

Hunk did not know who ‘they’ were and this was starting to sound vaguely like politics. He raised both hands up in a harmless gesture and began backing away. Watching as the queen whirled on her consort to explain exactly what she thought of being coddled by her advisors.

The betrayed look Lance shot him suggested this was an old argument. Hunk smiled brightly and waved as he left.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Shiro didn’t seem to know what to do when Shay opened the door to the guest room. The windows had been opened to air out the dust and freshly washed sheets dressed the bed. A trunk, empty for the moment, sat under the window- doubling as a sitting place. In the corner, under one of the crystals that lit the house, a plain writing desk sat. Quill and ink pot on its corner, waiting patiently for someone to use it.

He walked around, touching everything gently with just the tips of his fingers. Near the window a floorboard creaked, and the man stopped moving for a moment.

Hunk winced, “I can fix that.”

Shay twisted her simple gold wedding ring around her finger, “Do you like it, Shiro?”

The taller man turned that heartbreaking smile back on them, like sun on a cloudy day, “I love it. Thank you.”

Suddenly, Hunk had a vision. A wonderful vision that would pay for an expansion of the house. Of a proper room for their guest. When Shiro returned to exploring the desk, Hunk turned to his wife and said in Altean, “We would make a fortune if we had him on the counter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say, 'hi' on [Tumblr!](https://basicallyanidiot.tumblr.com/)


End file.
